Preface T HAS BEEN only a few days since I fnished my com mentary on Paul’s epistle to Philemon and moved on to his epistle to the Galatians, reversing my course and passing over many things in between. All of a sudden a letter ar rived for me from Rome bearing the news that the venerable wid ow Albina has returned to the Lord and that the holy Marcella,1 deprived of the companionship of her mother, now more than ever seeks comfort from you, Paula and Eustochium.2 Since this is impossible at the moment due to the great distance of land and sea that stretches out between us, she desires me at least to treat this suddenly inflicted wound with the medicine of Scripture. I